V. I. Lenin

Closure Of The Menshevik Newspaper

Undermining The Country’s Defence

All-Russia Central Executive Committee Draft
      Resolution[1]

Written:22 February, 1919First Published:1945 inLenin Miscellany XXXVSource:Lenin’sCollected Works, 4th English Edition, 	
      Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1972 Volume 28, pages 447-448Translated:Jim RiordanTranscription/HTML Markup:David Walters & Robert CymbalaOnline Version:V. 	I.	Lenin 	Internet 	
	ArchiveMay, 2002

Taking into consideration that

1) the Menshevik newspaperVsegda Vperyodpublished an
         article "Stop the Civil War" on 20.2.19, which proved once
         and for all that it is counter-revolutionary;

2) the slogan “Down with the Civil War”, openly
         advo-cated in the paper at a time when the landlord and
         capi-talist troops, led by Kolchak, have captured Perm as
         well as Siberia, is equivalent to support for Kolchak and an
         obstacle to the workers and peasants of Russia winning the
         war against Kolchak;

3) the Mensheviks, who in their conference resolution condemned
         the overwhelming majority of Menshevik party members who have
         lined up with the propertied classes, i.e., the landowners
         and capitalists in Siberia, Archangel, on the Volga, in
         Georgia and the South, are thus now start-ing to pursue the
         same policy in fact, while hypocritically denying it in
         words;

4) those of the Mensheviks who are not hypocritical friends of
         the landowners and capitalists are now again displaying the
         spineless vacillation bringing them to serving Koichak;

5) the Soviet Government, right at the time of the last,
         decisive and sharpest armed clash with the landlord and
         capitalist troops, cannot put up with people who are
         un-willing to endure great sacrifices alongside the workers
         and peasants fighting for their just cause;

6) such people are again and again leaning towards the Kolchak
         brand of democracy under which the bourgeoisie and their
         hangers-on do so well, the Central Executive Committee
         decrees that a) the newspaperVsegda Vperyodshall
         be closed down until the Mensheviks show by actions their
         resolve to break once and for all with Kolchak and firmly
         stand for the defence and support of the Soviet government;
         b) all the necessary measures shall be taken to exile
         Mensheviks hampering the victory of the workers and peasants
         over Kolchak to a life under the Kolchak brand of democracy.

[1]Lenin compiled this draft for discussion by the All-Russia Central
    Executive Committee on the question of the Menshevik newspaperVsegdn Vperyed(AlwaysForward)(the paper was
    published in Moscow; one issue appeared in 1918, and in 1919 it
    appeared from January 22 to February 25).

The minutes of the Council of People’s
    Commissars for February 22, 1919, contain a note from Secretary of
    the All-Bussia Central Executive Committee Avaoesov addressed to
    Lenin: “Have you received the resolution on the
    Mensheviks?” It appears that Lenin had seen a preliminary
    draft of the resolution in question and compiled his own draft On
    February 25, 1919, the Presidium of the All-Russia Central
    Executive Committee adopted a decision to close down the
    news-paper. On the following day the plenary session of the
    All-Russia Central Executive Committee confirmed the decision and
    Inani-mously passed a lengthy resolution which incorporated the
    main. ideas of Lenin’s draft. On February 27 the decision
    was published inIzvestia No.45 over the signatures of
    Sverdlov and Avanesov.